Zaid Mohammed Mahdawi, 26, of Richmond, Virginia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court for his role in vandalizing the Columbus Circle monument in front of Union Station in Washington, D.C., following a protest rally on July 24, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., FBI Washington Field Office Counterterrorism Division Special Agent in Charge Courtland Rae, and U.S. Park Police (USPP) Chief Jessica M.E. Taylor announced the sentencing.
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Chief Judge James E. Boasberg sentenced Mahdawi to 10 days in federal prison, followed by six months of supervised release. He was also ordered to complete 80 hours of community service and pay $1,500 in restitution. Mahdawi had pleaded guilty to destruction of government property, a misdemeanor, on January 23, 2025.
According to court documents, the incident occurred during a permitted demonstration at Columbus Circle, located at Massachusetts Ave. NE, and E St. NE. During the protest, which took place between approximately 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., demonstrators engaged in various acts of vandalism, including pulling down flags, burning objects, and spray-painting statues and structures.
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Mahdawi was observed lowering a United States flag from a flagpole, which was subsequently stolen by another individual. He then climbed the Columbus Circle monument and spray-painted it.
Video footage from USPP surveillance and open-source videos showed Mahdawi using red spray paint to write “HAMAS IS COMIN” on the statue and adding an inverted red triangle above the phrase.
The damaged property, including the flags, statues, and structures, belongs to the federal government. The National Park Service estimated the cost of cleaning and repairs to be approximately $11,282.23.
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